Review: Primal “River Of Snakes”

Spear, a caveman, may be working together with Fang, a dinosaur, but that doesn’t mean that his animosity towards the species instantly disappears. There’s a moment early on in “River of Snakes” when Spear thinks that he’s secured his next meal, only for Fang to snag it away and gloatingly enjoy it in front of him. Spear now has an ally in this world, but it’s not going to be an easy relationship to navigate around. That’s what “River of Snakes,” the second episode of Primal, is really all about. It explores the growing pains of working together as a team and learning to trust someone new.

“River of Snakes” sees Fang and Spear outside of immediate danger and is more about the hunt and passion that drives individuals to survive. This was also the case in the series’ first episode, but there’s such a beauty to this kind of simplistic storytelling. Surely Primal’s final episode will heavily involve grueling combat. Until then, it’s very satisfying to see these smaller, more intimate stories play out with these larger than life characters. For instance, “River of Snakes” deals with eating a good meal. That’s it. However, that menial survival task becomes a pivotal bonding exercise for both Fang and Spear that teaches them a lot about each other in the process. Tracking down a good meal may not sound like the most captivating story. However, Tartakovsky turns this into a thrilling twenty minutes of television that feels wholly unique, even though it’s technically not doing anything new.

Spear quickly notices that his smaller size in stature when in comparison to Fang is something that he’s going to have to adapt around. The two prowls for prey and Spear displays various efforts to get the upper hand on Fang and prove his proficiency in stealth. There are many moments where he carefully advances and lathers himself up in mud to better camouflage with his surroundings. Spear packs a ton of power and he’s likely not one to back down from a fight, but it’s helpful that “River of Snakes” establishes how formidable of a hunter he is and where his other talents also lie. It’s very calming to watch Spear command a mastery over his surroundings as he catapults through pastel-colored fauna and rich sunsets.

After Spear concedes that he may have to play by Fang’s rules when it comes to meat, he settles for the consolation prize of fresh fruit. Even this turns into an altercation between the two alphas. Spear’s inability to get what he wants here is nearly enough to push him over the edge. The stakes continue to get smaller, but the conflict between Spear and Fang remains the same throughout the entire episode. Something as simple and passive as sleeping gets transformed into another source for frustration.

Fang’s labored breathing and snoring drives Spear insane and keeps him up through the night and he again considers retaliation. It’s important to point out that none of Fang’s behavior here is explicitly malicious. He’s just trying to exist, even if that does happen to push Spear into an uncomfortable place. It takes Spear the bulk of the episode to clue into this (empathy can’t be that easy for a caveman), but it’s this epiphany that allows the two of them to (somewhat) peacefully co-exist.

“River of Snakes'” final act returns to making hunting its priority. Spear’s tactic this time around involves an elaborate display of machismo to show dominance over Fang. It’s a strategy that works, but not without a price. It brings Spear and Fang the closest that they’ve been to legitimate violence since their initial alliance. There’s a seriously thrilling moment where Spear leaps into Fang’s gnashing jaws and a flash of lightning obscures the impact at the perfect moment of suspense.

Another fun dynamic to Primal’s battle choreography and thought process is that all of Spear’s moves, albeit effective, are still believable from a Neanderthal. That’s especially obvious in this episode. There is a very clear cause and effect style to how he attacks and it manages to make Spear into an even deeper character. As this very necessary act of aggression plays out, lightning and pouring rain intensify and perfectly reflect the chaos that rages inside both Spear and Fang at this moment. It’s a smart way to add a lot to the emotional combat of this final fight.

The animation and action throughout Primal continue to exceed expectations and don’t make any concessions after the premiere. Everything flows so well and the lightning strikes that occur when Spear and Fang finally do briefly engage in combat are nice touches. They illustrate just how explosive their tempers are in the moment, which is then reflected by the mighty will of nature. Additionally, “River of Snakes” contains elegant chase sequences where Spear and Fang turn the tall grass into a blur as they blaze through lush environments. These swift moments when paired together with the impeccable sound design once again create an incredible effect.

The chases from the start of the episode are also nicely juxtaposed with the rushing water that displaces our heroes during its conclusion. It’s honestly amazing when Fang and Spear square off against a myriad of cobras underwater. They use their aquatic surroundings in inventive and visually interesting ways. It’s just brilliant when the red blood of slain snakes begins to invade and take over the blue of the water. Clever tricks like that should be rampant in animation.

“River of Snakes” continues to create rich, balanced episodes as the installment’s final set piece shifts from the struggles that Spear faces with Fang into the reluctant—yet genuine—affection between them. Granted, they need to temporarily break their bond to reach this place. This episode certainly takes its time to reveal why it’s called “River of Snakes,” but it’s this slithering portent of doom that unites these two. As different as two individuals can be, everybody freaking hates snakes. Steering clear of these snakes causes these two warriors to eventually quit butting heads. Every time these two combine their efforts they become an unstoppable machine. They just need to quit tripping themselves up.

Primal’s first episode capitalized on grief and sorrow, but “River of Snakes” tries to demonstrate just how funny this show can also be. Spear and Fang are fresh partners, but this episode immediately jumps into the “buddy comedy” angle. There’s a lot to laugh at here, whether it’s Spear’s outright frustration towards Fang’s ferocious appetite or the cavemen-sized feces that Fang leaves in his wake. Even the pacing and music of “River of Snakes” play more towards comedic impulses and it makes for the perfect palate cleanser following the show’s somber premiere. This is perhaps best expressed in a beautiful scene where a worn-out Spear finds happiness in playful shadow puppets by the fire. He even gets so enthralled by his own imagination that he temporarily forgets his stark reality. In spite of all of the pain that these two have faced and that they’re literally displaced millions of years from us, they can still come across as infinitely relatable. Primal taps into something really special when it weaves these quieter, playful moments between the larger story beats.

“River of Snakes” doesn’t drop the ball after Primal’s exceptional premiere. The plot continues to be the show’s most threadbare aspect, yet it’s exciting that Primal is already showing its range in terms of tone. There’s a solid progression of the story here as Spear and Fang get closer and better figure out their dynamic. “River of Snakes” doesn’t offer up any hints regarding Primal’s endgame (unless Spear’s head trauma comes back in a big way), but this is still a very fun self-contained episode of the series. “River of Snakes” seems like it gives off a better indication of what an average installment of Primal will look like. Inevitably there will be some viewers who are hungry for more action here, but hey, at least some boars get speared and chomped. It’s not like they’re hunting metaphorical game. As Primal moves ahead we’ll see which version of itself it’s more interested in being or if it will effectively juggle all of these sensibilities. As long as Spear and Fang have each other’s backs, it shouldn’t matter what happens.